Dutch say “goodbye” to UK with North Sea beach party event

Thousands of Dutch are seemingly planning to say "goodbye" to the United Kingdom with a beach party on Strand Wijk Aan Zee on October 31st - the date of the Brexit, according to an event created on Facebook. The event initiator invites everyone to bring a beach chair, Dutch chips, French wine and German beer and watch across the sea as Great Britain wakes up as a "closed institution".

By 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, over 63 thousand people indicated that they are interested in the event and 9,600 said they are going. "If there is enough interest, there may be a band that can play 'It's quiet on the other side' and "We'll meet again'. Other musical suggestions are welcome", the initiator said. 

After multiple delays, the United Kingdom is set to leave the European Union on October 31st. The UK's new Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed that this will happen with or without a deal, according to Euronews. On Monday Johnson sent a letter to European Council President Donald Tusk, trying to restart Brexit negotiations by asking that the so-called Irish backstop is removed fro the existing deal.

There seems little chance that the Brexit negotiations will start up again. On Tuesday, Tusk rebuffed Johnson, saying that his letter included no "realistic alternatives" to the backstop. "The backstop is insurance to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland unless and until an alternative is found", Tusk said on Twitter. "Those against the backstop and not proposing realistic alternatives in fact support re-establishing a border. Even if they don't admit it."

On Tuesday the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a tweet saying that a no-deal Brexit is "unfortunately a real scenario that we must prepare for as well as possible".